For NWI Research Personnel

Workstation Setup

for NWI Research Personnel

As a new or existing user, you may experience times where common links to VA resources on your desktop are missing or you can’t locate files or folders on your PC or through your applications.

Some workstations may not adequately update when you sign on for the first time, and of course, Research specific links will not be available.

The following procedures should help you quickly set up common links and application settings.

Table of Contents

Set-Up

Desktop Shortcuts ………….……….……………………………………………………………………………………..2

MS Outlook Personal Folders ………………..…………….……………………………………………..…………3

Tips & Tricks

Preserving Your Desktop ……………………..………………………………………………………………………..5

Desktop Shortcuts

Ctrl-click the following link and drag or copy and paste the listed shortcuts to your desktop:

\\Vhaomafpc19\research\Public\Workstation Setup

Ctrl-click the following link and follow Research Directory Setup instructions:

http://www.nebraska.va.gov/services/Research/admin/it/Research_Directory_Setup.docx

MS Outlook Personal Folders

“Personal folders” are essentially Outlook data files. They are separate from your Inbox and related sub folders which are located on the VA’s Exchange Server. The storage size of your inbox is limited, and once full, will prevent you from sending or receiving any more mail.

Therefore, it is a good idea to create a data file for your personal use where you can move Inbox content to these personal folders as needed. Here’s how:

1. From the menu bar select Tools -> Account Settings

2. Select the Data Files tab. If other files are listed besides the Mailbox, make sure that they are located on your P: drive (double-click on the file to see its properties). If not, we’ll add one.

3. Click Add to create a new data file

4. Click OK to the default selection

5. Locate your mapped P: drive on your PC and open to it

6. A personal folder file may already exist and currently in use by you. If so, select the file and click OK.

If not, make sure that the file name reads: Personal Folders.pst and click OK. A new file will be created to your P: drive.

You should notice that Personal Folders now appears in the left navigation pane of Outlook. You can then customize this folder and add any sub-folders to organize your e-mail.

For every computer you work at, these steps will need to be repeated; your Outlook setup is specific to each machine.

Preserving Your Desktop

What happens if your PC or laptop crashes and it has to be replaced or re-imaged (wiped clean)?

One way to preserve all of the shortcuts is to simply copy the whole desktop and save it to a location that you can access later and copy back to your new PC or another PC located elsewhere. Here’s how:

1. Go to the file Explorer and find your username in the following location: C:\Documents and Settings

2. Open your folder and highlight the “Desktop” folder or any other folder that you want to make a backup of (use Ctrl-left-click to select more than one folder at a time).

3. Right-click on the highlighted folders and copy

4. Go to your P: drive. Right-click on the highlighted P: drive and paste.

Ver: Jan 2013 Research Document Control Library/Workstation_Setup.docx